Friday, January 8, 2010

Good ol' Rudy Giuliani, "Mr. Noun-Verb-9/11" stated today on Little Man Stephanopolous' show that there were no domestic attacks under Bush. Here we go again, the all-time favorite strategy of the Republican Party: 1. Deny 2. Lie 3. Lie again and again, until people think your lies are the truth.

No domestic attacks under Bush. Yes. He really said it. I know, that's insane! Right?

I'll let you take a minute while you think about the absurdity of that idea...or you can enjoy the clip, if you prefer:

So here we are, talking to the so-called "Mayor of 9-11" and he denies the existence of the day of infamy that none of us can ever dream of forgetting. I am certain that you and every other American remember where you were when you got the news, as surely as the generation before us remembers that moment they found out about December 7th. Tweenie, now more of a "Teenie" (she's in high school now), vividly remembers the day in first grade when she and her friends were sitting on the carpet and her teacher told them the terrifying news of September 11th. Tweenie remembers that it was her best friend's birthday, and Jessie had brought cupcakes with pink frosting and white sprinkles. As I walked my daughter into school that morning, I was told by a colleague that the U.S. was under attack, and I immediately called The Hubby, who told me what was going on. Shortly after that, the second plane hit the remaining tower. We were here in sunny Southern Cal, with a beautiful day, clear skies and warm breezes; Giuliani was at Ground Zero, the site of the collapsed towers, with victims jumping from the buildings, debris flying and dust blasting down the streets, driving people away in panicked hordes. But he doesn't remember. He doesn't remember.

Now maybe it's not a memory problem. Maybe Giuliani is an absolute idiot, plain and simple. A lobotomized, blathering fool. But somehow, folks, I don't think that's the case. If it was, he'd never be able to make his living on the blood of 9-11 victims by pursuing speaking engagements and consultant gigs as a "terrorism expert." If he'd forgotten the fallen, he wouldn't be the expert he purports to be. So I am led to only one logical conclusion: Rudy Giuliani is a liar who is willfully attempting to rewrite American history to gain the favor of his party's political machine.

Ya gotta give it to them, the Rethugs are united, falling in line, and "on message": "If we say it enough, it'll be perceived as true." And all the good little Republican boys and girls are ready to expunge the truth from our history, in true Orwellian fashion. While their message is a telling statement in itself about the demise of their party, Dems could certainly learn from their tactics: everyone, and I mean everyone, is on message, all the time. Sadly, this concerted effort strives to make the American collective memory into one of the revised tomes issued from 1984's Ministry of Truth. Once the slate has been wiped clean, anything may be written upon it.

It's the right - no, the responsibility - of The Fourth Estate to expose the hypocrisy and lies that the GOP wishes to foster in their own self-interest. But with more and more media outlets owned by the corporate powers that be, less and less of the Republican irregularities are brought into the sunlight. Case in point, George Stephanopolous allowing Giuliani to state such an obvious lie. Why didn't Georgie step in, as Tweenie did when we saw the interview, and call "Bullshit!" on him? (Needless to say, Tweenie used a much milder form than that particular profanity...) Perhaps he felt compelled to go easy on Giuliani because his ABC cronies said, "Play nice - we promised you would if he'd come on the show." Maybe, and I suspect this is the case, George couldn't play hardball in any interview any more than he could pull off a slam dunk. So for whatever reason, it is left to Air America, MSNBC and other alternative media to point out the glaring truth. And thank goodness for Maddow, O'Donnell, Obermann and their colleagues to continue to fight the good fight and preserve, for better or worse, the history of our collective consciousness. Way to go, guys.

Is Rachel right when she speculates that Rudy won't be able to salvage enough credibility to remain in politics? Will he overcome this horrendous gaffe, or is the opportunity cost too high and will doom him to a life of "terror consultancy"? Will the Republican Party continue to stick its fingers in its ears and sing to avoid taking responsibility for their actions? Whaddya think, my fellow politicos? I'm looking forward to your comments on this one!

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I refuse to cave to a minivan. I am still a tomboy - comfortable in Levi's, my Yankees cap and Converse. And I always have a political opinion...hell, I always have an opinion, period. The hubby, my kids and my friends think I should run for office. Maybe one day. But for now, Momma Politico blogs. Peruse, enjoy, and know that our busy lives are as significant as those in The Washington Post. Cheers, Heidi Haines AKA Perry MacNeil Momma Politicomommapolitico@gmail.com